Under-18 abortions in Wales reach five-year high

There has been a rise in the number of abortions among under-18s in Wales, bringing the level up to a five-year high, new figures show.

According to the Welsh Assembly government, a total of 1,403 teenagers had an abortion in 2007, up from just 906 in 2002.

The total number of abortions among women of all ages in Wales has also risen from 7,396 in 2002 to 8,765 in 2007, representing a rise of 18 per cent.

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Women between the ages of 20 and 24 are now most likely to have an abortion and the figures also reveal that more than 2,400 of the women who decided to terminate a pregnancy in 2007 had already had a previous abortion.

Dr Andrew Dearden, chairman of the British Medical Association's Welsh Council, observed that termination figures had previously been going down.

'I think it's very difficult to say what's behind a rise as there are multiple things that could be behind it,' he said.

'But I think education in schools is really important, along with an increased awareness of contraception.'

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